How many times has Luka Doncic fouled out in his career?
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was unable to finish Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night after fouling out in the loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Dallas Mavericks are in serious trouble. They are down 0-3, facing a deficit that no team has ever comeback from in the history of the NBA. They had a chance at the end of Game 3 but Luka Doncic fouled out with just over four minutes to go in the final quarter.
Mavs facing the impossible
It was a must win situation for the Mavericks in Wednesday night’s Game 3 from American Airlines Center. After getting dominated in the first two games in Boston, Dallas knew that going down 0-3 was going to be an impossible task and that’s why you got the sense that the Mavs were playing with a sense of desperation that we hadn’t seen in this series.
Despite that sense of desperation, the Boston Celtics were just too much to handle. The Dallas duo threw everything they had at the Celtics to avoid digging a three game hole, but the 62 combined points from Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic weren’t enough.
Those 62 point could have been more had Luka Doncic not fouled out of the game when the Mavs were in the midst of a comeback bid late in the 4th quarter. Dallas was down by as many as 21 points early in the fourth, but Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington were at the center of the late surge that brought the Americans Airlines Center back to life.
Doncic “couldn’t play physical”
After a 20-2 run cut the deficit to just three points with 4:12 to go in the fourth quarter, Luka Doncic was called for his second foul in under 40 seconds and was sent his marching orders after a replay confirmed the referee’s call. It was just the third time in Luka’s career that he fouled out of an NBA game.
Luka, who was visibly frustrated with the refs in Game 3, didn’t back down when he got in front of the microphones after the loss. “We couldn’t play physical. I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing. You know, six fouls in the NBA Finals, basically I’m like this (motions with palms out). C’mon, man. Better than that.”
What’s maybe most surprising is Doncic’s six fouls came in a game when many people criticized his defense, or lack there of. The Mavs will have one more chance to extend the series on Friday in Game 4 from American Airlines Center.